I should have put that title in my previous post! Does anyone else have a guitar with this type of serial number? I've seen it said that it's Chinese and I've also seen it said that it could be Korean or Japanese. The Love Rock I bought the other day has this type of number but the previous owner told me that he bought it new in 1998 - seven years before Tokai were manufacturing guitars in China (as far as I've been able to ascertain). He sold it to me as Chinese, so he hadn't anything to gain by lying about the age of the guitar. So what's the deal here? Does anyone with a Tokai with this serial number type know where/when it was made? I'm not going to sell mine, I love it, but I'd like to know a bit more about it!
CH0808**** serial numbers
- Thread starter Tedshirt
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Paladin2019
Well-known member
The previous owner was mistaken. From your story it sounds like a simple error, not a deception.
CH = China (no exceptions that I'm aware of)
Number starts 08 = Manufactured in 2008, well into the Chinese era.
CH = China (no exceptions that I'm aware of)
Number starts 08 = Manufactured in 2008, well into the Chinese era.
Thanks for the reply. I'm pretty sure it's not a mistake; a year or two out might be possible but 7 years? He bought it for his son - I think he'd remember. What information do you have that CH means China? Someone called Niko, in July 2016 said, on this forum: 'I thought the Chinese models started with CN. What is the whole serial number, as some that started with CH0808 could have been either Korea or japan made from the info ive seen on the registry'. In a later post he pasted these examples:
Copy: Les Paul Standard
Model: Love Rock
Tokai Model:
Serial Number: Ch08082781
Date of Purchase:
New/Used: New
Color:
Country: Japan
Comments: Comments
Submitted By:
Copy: Les Paul Standard
Model: Love Rock
Tokai Model:
Serial Number: CH 080801341
Date of Purchase:
New/Used: New
Color: Cream and gold
Country: Korea.
The registry doesn't seem to have very much info about individual guitars. I'd like to get to the bottom of this mystery!
Copy: Les Paul Standard
Model: Love Rock
Tokai Model:
Serial Number: Ch08082781
Date of Purchase:
New/Used: New
Color:
Country: Japan
Comments: Comments
Submitted By:
Copy: Les Paul Standard
Model: Love Rock
Tokai Model:
Serial Number: CH 080801341
Date of Purchase:
New/Used: New
Color: Cream and gold
Country: Korea.
The registry doesn't seem to have very much info about individual guitars. I'd like to get to the bottom of this mystery!
mdvineng
Well-known member
Ch or cn just indicates ddifferent factories iirc and the 08 is 2008yr
Paladin2019
Well-known member
Tedshirt said:
You found one example on the forum from four years ago where doubt was cast on this, and the person who did so didn't know enough to be able to tell if it was Japanese or not. CH or CN at the start of the serial number means made in China.
Here is a post from 2008 where someone bought a brand new SG (i.e. 2008 model) with a serial number very close to yours, starting with CH0808. It still had a "made in China" sticker on the headstock.
http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=12257
Tedshirt said:
No mystery. Tokai's serial numbers for the Love Rock range have been very consistent for decades. If it started with 98 it would be 1998. 08 means made in 2008, which means your seller was mistaken. I never said he was lying, but he is wrong.
Hi this is my first post here. I have a Korean Tokai and now thinking about a now knowing Chinese les paul Serial begins at CN 2004. Am I right in thinking that the price of £700 IS A BIT HIGH for a Chinese model. The guitar is aaaa flame top and gorgeous looking really wanting a MIJ but the price is really high on the guitars ive looking at. Could nearly buy a Gibson. Thanks in advance.
Paladin2019
Well-known member
rabmc said:
£700 is ridiculous for a Chinese model. The top is a laminate.
I just got a Tokai Love Rock (black, made in 2007, for 340€ = £300) so I would say that 700 is too much. Next I'm gonna get a similar in white, that'll be 450€!!! I used to have black Tokai Love Rock from 1985 and in 2012
I paid around 300€ for that too.
rabmc: "Chinese les paul Serial begins at CN 2004"
The first CN serial numbers I have seen are from 2010. CN10xxxxxx
In 2004 they were made in Korea.
Tokais Made In China
Tokais Made In Korea
Tokai Korea > China Timeline
The first CN serial numbers I have seen are from 2010. CN10xxxxxx
In 2004 they were made in Korea.
Tokais Made In China
Tokais Made In Korea
Tokai Korea > China Timeline
Last edited:
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